What is Reddit? A Quick Look at the Popular Online Community
If you spend a lot of time online, chances are you’ve heard of Reddit. The site bills itself as the “front page of the internet, ” and that’s not an empty boast: As of this writing, Reddit is the seventh most popular site in the U. S., according to Alexa, and the 19th worldwide. So, what exactly is Reddit? Essentially, it’s a massive collection of forums where people can share news and content or comment on other people’s posts. Here’s everything you need to know.
Further reading
Best subreddits
Most popular YouTube videos
The jargon and design of Reddit
Reddit is broken up into more than a million communities known as “subreddits, ” each of which covers a different topic. The name of a subreddit begins with “r/, ” which is part of the URL that Reddit uses. For example, r/nba is a subreddit where people talk about the National Basketball Association, while r/boardgames is a subreddit for people to discuss board games. Those are straightforward subreddits, but they can get weird, such as r/birdswitharms, a subreddit devoted to pictures of birds…with arms.
If you’re just looking at Reddit for the first time, you may be a bit confused by what you are seeing, so here’s a quick rundown. The homepage (or “front page”) shows you various posts that are currently trending on the site, pulled from a variety of subreddits. You can sort these posts by clicking one of the icons on the ribbon menu located underneath the Create Post text box (if you’re logged in with a Reddit account) or under a smaller header called Popular Posts, if you’re not logged in. These icons will sort the posts by Best, Hot, New, Top, or Rising if you’re logged in. Or it will sort them by your chosen location(s) (instead of Best) along with Hot, New, Top, or Rising, if you’re not logged in.
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There is a search bar near the top that you can use to find posts and subreddits related to a particular term. A search for “World Cup” for example, turns up some popular posts about the World Cup and relevant subreddits such as r/worldcup and r/sports.
You can only create a subreddit for a topic if you meet specific criteria. Namely, you have to have a Reddit account, your account must be at least 30 days old, and your account must be relatively active and have earned a minimum number of “karma” points as a result of that activity. The exact required number of karma points isn’t necessarily high, but the number is known only to Reddit.
Subreddits are managed by moderators (“mods, ” for short), volunteers who can edit the appearance of a particular subreddit, dictate what types of content are allowed in the sub, and even remove posts or content or ban users from the subreddit. Reddit as a whole is governed by the admins, employees of Reddit who have vast powers across the site, including the ability to strip moderators of their privileges, and even ban entire subreddits from the site.
Next to a post, you’ll likely see up and down arrows, as well as a number. Users click the arrows to upvote or downvote posts, increasing or decreasing their visibility, and the number reflects the current sum of upvotes and downvotes. Reddit users can also upvote and downvote other users’ comments, and every account has a karma number tied to it, which indicates how much karma their comments have received in total. Karma doesn’t get you hip Reddit swag or anything like that, but it does help to boost your standing in the Reddit community. Be proud of your karma!
Like most online communities, Reddit has its own language. Redditors tend to talk in abbreviations such as OP, TIL, IAmA, and AMA. OP just refers to the “original poster” in a thread, while TIL means “today I learned” and is one of the most common abbreviations you’ll see. Many posts are simple TIL observations and realizations. Both IAmA and AMA refer to what might very well be Reddit’s most popular feature: The Ask Me Anything thread. In an AMA, a well-known person such as Barack Obama or Nick Offerman, or someone who’s had a unique life experience (or a harrowing one, such as the woman who was mauled by a bear, fought it off, and drove four miles down a mountain with her face hanging off), submits themself to the inquisitive minds of Reddit. The resulting threads are some of the most insightful, humorous, and fascinating interviews you’ll ever read.
Hey, everyone: I'll be taking your questions online today. Ask yours here: -bo
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 29, 2012
Users can give awards to other users to recognize and highlight posts the giver really enjoyed. Giving an award costs Reddit Coins, which you can buy as a way of supporting the community.
Another way to support the community is by purchasing Reddit Premium, the site’s membership program. For $6 a month, Premium users don’t see ads and it gives you access to r/lounge, a super-secret subreddit where the brightest minds on Reddit assemble to engage in witty banter (or something), along with other benefits. Premium membership also comes with a regular supply of Coins to spend on Awards. You don’t need to buy Reddit Premium to have fun on Reddit, but it’s a way to support the site, get some perks, and be invested in the community.
Just remember, Reddit is a group of people meeting on the internet, sharing stuff, and talking to one another. That’s it. Act as you would if you were hanging out with old friends or new ones. Be mindful of your language and where you post (some subreddits are unfriendly to off-topic posts). Reddit has become a popular hub for many topics, both good, bad, and niche. And the community has also taken steps to make the site more inclusive by eliminating explicit content from its public homepage.
Signing up
If Reddit sounds like your kind of place, you can sign up by clicking on the blue Sign Up button in the top right corner of the main Reddit page. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to create an account. Reddit doesn’t limit you to just one account, either. You can set up multiple usernames and choose which one to log in with, depending on which subreddits you plan to participate in. Some subs encourage personally revealing posts, for example, and you may find it useful to have one persona there and another one in a sports subreddit. Some people create throwaway accounts when asking for relationship or professional advice, among other topics.
After signing in, Reddit will offer you recommendations on finding popular boards that may match your interests. If you currently have a particular community in mind that you want to join, go ahead and enter its name in the search field. Alternatively, you can hunt for applicable words and investigate that way.
When you encounter a subreddit you want to revisit, you have the opportunity to subscribe to it. Your homepage will show posts from your subscribed subreddits. You can look at all your subscriptions in the navigation bar’s drop-down menu; this lets you switch between communities easily. You can also link comparable subreddits into customized feeds—for instance, you may organize r/nba, r/nbadiscussion, and other team subreddits into a basketball multireddit. If you want to do this, just head to the proper subreddit and click the Three Dots symbol next to About Community. From here, you’ll see a menu pop-up where you will need to select Add to Custom Feed. After this, follow the prompts to add the subreddit to an existing feed or make a brand new one. You can even decide to make your multireddit public so other Redditors can become a subscriber.
You can join as many subreddits as you want, and the ample amount of topics assures your continued interest. Maybe Reddit’s most engaging feature is that you can be as incognito or otherwise socially low-key as you desire. With all these cool features, it’s not surprising that it interests so many subscribers.
Check out our guide to the best subreddits to get you started.
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What is Reddit? – Definition from WhatIs.com – SearchCIO
Reddit is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words “I read it. ”
Reddit member registration is free, and it is required to use the website’s basic features.
For a monthly fee or yearly subscription, redditors can upgrade to Reddit Gold. This service provides a set of extended features not available to nonpaying users. Features of Reddit Gold include access to members-only communities and the ability to turn off sidebar ads.
What are subreddits and how do they work?
The site is composed of hundreds of subcommunities, known as subreddits. Each subreddit has a specific topic, such as technology, politics or music. Reddit’s homepage, or the front page, as it is often called, is composed of the most popular posts from each default subreddit. The default list is predetermined and includes subreddits such as “pics, ” “funny, ” “videos, ” “news” and “gaming. ”
Reddit site members, also known as redditors, submit content which is then voted upon by other members. The goal is to send well-regarded content to the top of the site’s front page. Content is voted on via upvotes and downvotes: arrows on which users click to the left of a post. The more upvotes a post gets, the more popular it becomes, and the higher up it appears on its respective subreddit or the front page. To access a subreddit via the address bar, simply type ” name. ”
How to use Reddit
Upon arriving on the site’s front page, users will notice a list of posts — a collection of text posts, link posts, images and videos. When logged out of a Reddit account, the front page is composed of the site’s default subreddits — a list of about 50 topics including music, videos, news and GIFs, among others. After creating an account, users will automatically be “subscribed” to the list of default subreddits. Users can then unsubscribe to any of the default subreddits they do not wish to view, and they can subscribe to additional subreddits to get a personalized front page of content that interests them.
Users can also comment on posts after creating an account. Commenting is one of Reddit’s core features, and it is the primary way for users to interact with each other, besides private messaging. Comments, like posts, can be voted on by users and are then ranked accordingly. The comment with the highest number of votes sits at the top of the comment section and is referred to as the top comment.
Reddit company information
Reddit is similar to Digg, another user-generated social networking site. Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian started Reddit in 2005, and Condé Nast Publications acquired the site in October 2006. Reddit split from Condé Nast in 2011, and now operates under Advance Publications. A July 8, 2012, article reported that 35 million new users sign up for Reddit every month.
Notable controversies
Since its inception, Reddit has been the subject of many controversies, some great enough to make the news.
Site statistics and user demographics
As of this writing, Reddit is the 24th most-visited website in the world and the 7th most-visited website in the United States, with the U. S. accounting for 46. 9% of the site’s visitors, according to web traffic data and analytics company Alexa Internet. According to a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center, 71% of Reddit’s audience is composed of men.
Popular acronyms
Many acronyms are unique to Reddit. They are commonly found in post titles, subreddit rules and comments. The following is a breakdown of some of the most commonly used acronyms on the site.
ELI5: Explain like I’m 5 — A term used when redditors want something explained to them in very simple terms, as if they were a five-year-old asking for the answer to a question. A popular subreddit, explainlikeimfive, exists for this very purpose.
TLDR or TL;DR: Too long; didn’t read — In some longer posts or comments, redditors may place a, “TLDR” at the end of their text for the purpose of shortening what they wrote if other redditors do not want to take the time to read the entire post.
NSFW: Not safe for work — When redditors make a post or comment that has explicit content, it is marked with this acronym to let other redditors know not to view the content at work or any place where explicit material would be unsuitable.
TIL: Today I learned — Used mainly in the form of “TIL” posts, this term is used when redditors want to share something new they learned.
OP: Original poster — The redditor who created the initial post.
AMA: Ask me anything — A popular acronym used on Reddit’s “IAmA” subreddit, where redditors can post “AMA” threads. This is another name for a Q&A thread, where redditors answer questions about their life and, usually, their occupation. President Barack Obama made headlines when he participated in an AMA on Aug. 29, 2012. He was the first sitting president to do so.
This was last updated in December 2016
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There are many specialized discussion boards on the internet, but if you are looking for news, debate, answers or just fun about practically anything you can image, Reddit is the claims to be “the front page to the Internet”, and after more than a decade enjoying it, I have to agree. Its users seem to have the ability to detect trends and news before anyone else, and then comment on them, often with extraordinary wit or illuminating knowhow. If you’re not familiar with the site, here’s a guide to everything about Reddit, how best to enjoy it and how to ‘s Reddit? Reddit is basically a large group of forums in which registered users can talk about almost anything you can imagine, from news, to pop culture, to technology, to comics, to film, to literature, to the weirdest things in the world, including Not Safe For Work stuff. What’s a subreddit? Those specialized forums are called “subreddits, ” which are referred to as r/”topic” (example: r/gadgets). There are more than 138, 000 active subreddits. You can read and participate in all of them freely except private subreddits, which require an admission process. You can also subscribe to the subreddits, so their most popular posts appear on your personalized Reddit front many people use Reddit? The latest figure — from March 2019 — is 234 million active unique users, which makes it the No. 6 most-visited site in the United States and No. 21 in the world, according to the way, Reddit users call themselves “redditors. “What are the most popular subreddits? According to the latest subscriber figures, the top five most popular subreddits — excluding the No. 1 general r/announcements — are r/funny with 25. 3 million subscribers, r/AskReddit (23. 5 million), r/gaming (22. 8 million), r/pics (22. 3 million) and r/science (21. 8 million). But with more than 138, 000 active Reddits, the list doesn’t stop there. Some of my favorite mainstream ones are r/gadgets, with 15. 4 million subscribers; r/todayilearned (21. 1 million); r/movies (21 million); and r/Futurology (13 million). The Futurology site is not dedicated to tarot card readers but to news and developments that affect the future of humanity. (Image credit: Reddit)Other of my not-so-mainstream favorites are r/oddlysatisfying, which features videos and photos that are oddly satisfying, indeed; r/CrappyDesign, dedicated to the many crappy designs that surround us; r/Retrogaming; and r/EarthPorn, which has stunning images of our Pale Blue Dot, not actual porn. MORE: 10 Offbeat Social NetworksAnd that’s just the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg. The subreddits go through every hobby and topic imaginable all the way to the most extremely strange things like r/wolveswithwatermelons (which is exactly that, although it includes dogs, too), r/birdswitharms (people photoshopping arms on birds), or r/dragonsf*ckingcars (don’t worry, it is safe for work unless you are a dragon working in an office full of dragons) I create my own subreddit? If you are registered, can I find subreddits? There’s a search field at the top of the page. Just enter any topic you want and you will likely find it. If you are looking for NSFW topics, you will need to be registered and activate NSFW topic in your is open to anyone to navigate and read freely. You can also register and become more gistered users can make submissions to any of the public subreddits. They can also join the subreddits, an action that will affect how Reddit’s front page will look for you (more on this later) can also comment on other people’s submissions by just clicking on the open comment field right under the submission. In the same way, you can reply to people’s comments by clicking finally, registered users can upvote or downvote any of the submissions, which is the way that Reddit makes submissions surface to the front does the front page work? Reddit has a front page in which certain submissions are featured, thanks to different algorithms. This front page has different you are not registered, the default tab is “Hot, ” which is basically a view of the submissions with the highest scores over a period of time. The score is determined by subtracting the downvotes from the upvotes. (Image credit: Shutterstock)If you are registered, then the default tab is called “Best. ” It features the most-voted posts from all the subreddits but it takes into account other things, like the submissions in which you have spent time before or the subreddits you have joined. This is a personalized view that will also eliminate things that you have already clicked through the next time you load the front page. This is done to ensure that the Best page remains fresh. MORE: How Facebook, Twitter Can Fight Fake NewsThere are other tabs, like “Rising” — which features posts that are new and are getting upvotes quick — and “Controversial” — which uses an algorithm to determine which posts are the subject of conflicting opinions by looking at the fluctuation of the upvotes and can I submit to Reddit? There are four basic submissions: link, image, video and text. All of the submissions require a title, which Reddit encourages to be interesting but devoid of hyperbole and there any Reddit rules? As a general rule, reddiquette dictates that you should be a civilized person and remember that there’s always a human being at the other side of the screen. Of course, no self-promotion or spam is allowed. Just be mindful about what you do, try to be respectful of others, and you will be, beyond the logical etiquette, each subreddit has its own rules that you should read and abide by when posting or commenting. Some subreddits — like r/pics — may only accept image submissions and no external links, for example. Others will require you to be more descriptive in your posts, like r/’s a “flair”? Some subreddits will require you to apply a “flair” to your submission, which roughly identifies what it is about. Example: The subreddit r/gadgets has flairs like Phones, Desktop/Laptop, TV/Projectors, Music or Transportation, among upvotes have any other effect, and what is karma? As people upvote or downvote your posts and comments, these get added to your “karma. ” The higher karma you have, the better regarded you may be by the you lose karma on Reddit? Any time someone votes negatively to one of your post, you lose points on your global karma. But you shouldn’t worry to much. The point of Reddit is not to accumulate karma points but to learn, have fun, waste time or add to the conversation in a constructive or funny I get banned from Reddit? (Image credit: Shutterstock)Yes, you can definitely get banned from Reddit if you are a spammer or just a terrible person who spreads hate and negativity. It won’t ban you from reading, but from participating. And once you are banned, you are done for good. Again, just be mindful and play according to the I get banned from a subreddit? Yes, moderators can ban you for not following the rules. There are different kinds of moderators. Some are more strict than others, but any moderator will quickly ban you if you don’t follow the rules on a regular I get unbanned? You can always contact the moderators and ask. If you tell them you didn’t read the rules or you didn’t know about something, they may reinstate you. But there are no rules for this. It’s at the discretion of the there any specific Reddit lingo? Yes, there is. Aside from the usual internet acronyms like As Far As I Know or In My Opinion, Reddit has a lot of specific acronyms and expressions. Here are some useful ones: AMA: Ask Me Anything. People — generally those who are famous or have done something of interest — use this acronym on a submission to have a dialogue with redditors. There’s also a subreddit dedicated to AMAs in which everyone from Barack Obama to NASA scientists to Bill Gates (who often participates) answers questions from users. To get an idea, here’s a top 10 of best AMAs, or just go to the subreddit here. ELI5: Explain Like I’m 5 (years old). If you have a question about a complex subject, use this to ask it. There’s a subreddit for this, and ETA: Edit and Edited To Add are expressions added to comments when people edit;DR: Too Long; Didn’t Read. This is used at the end of long text posts or comments to criticize an article or comment as being too long to read. It can also be used to provide a summary of the main point of the text in case people don’t have time to read the entire thing. Can people see my activity in Reddit? People can see your posts and your comments. They can’t see your likes or your subscriptions. Users can also follow there any mobile apps for Reddit? Yes. In fact, the experience is much better when using the apps on both smartphones and tablets. There are official apps for Android or iOS. If you want a different experience, you can try any of the third-party apps for iOS and Android. Anything else I should know? Nah. This is all you need. Just jump in, start exploring, and get ready to spend hours going down the Reddit rabbit hole. It’s the best and most interesting fun you can have on the internet today.
Jesus Diaz founded the new Sploid for Gawker Media after seven years working at Gizmodo, where he helmed the lost-in-a-bar iPhone 4 story and wrote old angry man rants, among other things. He’s a creative director, screenwriter, and producer at The Magic Sauce, and currently writes for Fast Company and Tom’s Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions about what is reditt
What is Reddit mostly used for?
Reddit is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words “I read it.” Reddit member registration is free, and it is required to use the website’s basic features.
Why do people use Reddit?
Reddit is basically a large group of forums in which registered users can talk about almost anything you can imagine, from news, to pop culture, to technology, to comics, to film, to literature, to the weirdest things in the world, including Not Safe For Work stuff.Jul 22, 2019
Why is Reddit so popular?
There’s a reason why Reddit is so popular with the nerdy slice of the world’s population. It’s an incredible source of information on pretty much every field of human knowledge. You can browse through the many subreddits in philosophy, languages, coding, molecular gastronomy or whatever makes your mind hungry.Apr 1, 2016